


Explorers

by maxcellwire



Category: Muse
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Comedy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-17
Updated: 2014-02-17
Packaged: 2018-01-12 19:57:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1197492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maxcellwire/pseuds/maxcellwire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Howard and Bellamy's Wild Weekend: Saturday at 8 on ITV2'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Explorers

**Author's Note:**

> Blatant Bear Grylls references here. You can see that I'm continuing the imaginative title theme haha. I know nothing about climbing and adventure etc so i've tried to keep the technicalities to a minimum. I also know nothing about Canada and the area so I'm sorry if I'm breaking rules or something here.

The sparkling of the sun on the clear surface of a serene lake. The soft sound of water lapping at the edges of the path, crickets chirping in the background. The soaring mountain range towering up behind it, its peaks white as a dove with snow.  
  
“This is Lake Louise, which sits at the feet of the Canadian Rockies, one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world,” the voiceover states, the camera panning across the lake to take in the amazing views. “Here, renowned adventurer and national treasure Dominic Howard will be taking singer-songwriter Matthew Bellamy,” the scene cuts to a view of Matthew, resting his elbows on the railing of a balcony. He seems at ease as he gazes out at the spectacular view before him, safe in his hotel room, “on a Wild Weekend. Despite their peaceful appearance, the Rockies can be incredibly dangerous for inexperienced climbers. Here, they will face treacherous crevasses, rapid river crossings and steep cliff faces, all in the next two days of travelling.”  
  
 **[Montage of critical scenes. Dramatic music which sounds suspiciously like Survival in the background]**  
  
 **[TITLE SEQUENCE]**  
  
We hear Dominic before we see him, his heavy walking boots crunching on the gravel at the edge of the lake. He pauses and stuffs his hands into his jacket pockets, looking out at the water. He bends to pick up a stone and kneels, swiping his thumb over the smooth surface of the pebble he has found. Turning toward the camera, he smiles slightly. His angelic looks and charming nature are what has made him so popular with the viewers, and the cameramen know just how to exploit it. From this angle, the sun bounces off his hair in such a way that it forms a golden halo around his face. Across Britain, a thousand teenage girls sigh dreamily.  
  
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” he confesses, absently turning the pebble over and over in his hand, “although I’m not sure that Matthew is.” He chuckles. “From what I’ve heard, he’s not really into sport and exercise, so I have no doubt he’s going to be entirely out of his comfort zone. Hopefully he’ll enjoy himself, though.” He turns to the lake and flings the pebble from his hand. As he turns away, we see it skim across the water before landing with a quiet  _sploosh._  
  
Matthew is sat in his hotel room, sipping at a cup of tea.  
  
“I’m all packed and ready,” he says, nodding at the rucksack settled in the corner. “Now that I’ve done that, I guess it’s final. I’m really going out there tomorrow.” He turns his head to look out of the window from his seat and shakes his head, biting his lip. “I’m bloody terrified.”  
  
There’s a knock on the door. Matthew puts his tea on the side and goes to answer it, smiling nervously when he sees Dominic leaning against the doorway.  
  
“All set?” the adventurer asks, to which Matthew nods. “You’ll have to make sure you get a good sleep tonight.” They both chuckle at this, Matthew running a hand through his dark hair and adding,  
  
“I’m not entirely sure whether that’ll happen; not with these nerves, anyway.”  
  
“Still, try the best you can. You’re going to need your energy tomorrow.”  
  
“Will do.”  
  
 **[Scene fades to black before changing]**  
  
The shot begins with a view of the sun beginning to rise over the lowest of the mountains, the sky painted with warm yellows and oranges. The bleeping of an alarm clock disturbs the peace, and a muffled groan is emitted from the man in bed as he rolls over. He slams his palm down on the top of the clock to shut it up, and then curls up again, resting his head on the pillow with a smile.  
Five minutes later, the alarm goes off again. This time he bites back a shout of frustration and sits up, turning off the alarm with an exasperated sigh as he drags himself out of bed. When he sees the camera in the corner of the room, he swears under his breath, gathers his clothes for the day, and enters the bathroom. The distinctive sound of the locking clicking echoes in the room.  
  
“Matthew?” a voice calls through the wooden door. “Are you awake yet?”  
  
“I’m just getting dressed!” comes the reply, and the owner of the voice comes stumbling out of the bathroom, his arms tangled in his shirt as he tries to get to the door. He throws it open to see Dominic giggling with his hand in front of his mouth and scowls at him.  
  
“It’s so tight!” He pinches the material covering his chest and snaps it back, grumbling to himself. Dominic steps into the room and takes in the swinging bathroom door, the messy bed. He raises an eyebrow.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, alright,” Matthew sighs, shrugging on a thick jumper. “I’ll sort myself out when I’m actually awake.”  
  
Finally, Matthew ties up his hiking boots and pulls on his backpack, pulling a face when he realises how heavy it is. He tries to walk to the door and almost falls over, the weight on his back pulling him backwards. Dominic rolls his eyes and holds open the door for him, Matthew thanking him as he passes through.  
  
We next see the boys walking around the outside of the lake, swerving around trees as they make their way to the foot of the mountain they are hoping to tackle. The morning air is clear and fresh, and Matthew smiles as he inhales deeply, looking out over the lake.  
  
“You feeling more refreshed now?” Dominic asks him cheerfully, Matthew nodding, distracted by the gorgeous view. “Good to see. We’ve got a lot ahead of us today.” Matthew’s smile wavers a little bit, but he remains silent.  
  
They come to the foot of the mountain, and Matthew cranes his neck back to look up to the summit.  
  
 **[Camera pans up to show the height of the mountain.]**  
  
He holds his hand in front of his eyes to shield them from the sun and whistles.  
  
“We’re going all the way up there?”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
“Christ...”  
  
Dominic has started walking off and Matthew quickly hurries after him, his rucksack rattling and bouncing on his back. “We’re just walking straight up, aren’t we?” His breath comes slightly faster after the short jog to catch up to Dominic, and concern flits across his features.  
  
“Well, mostly,” Dominic replies, a twinkle in his eye.  
  
“W-what else could we be doing?”  
  
“I’m going to teach you some survival techniques.” Matthew screws his nose up.  
  
“Is it going to involve sticking something weird up my bum?” Dominic laughs out loud, remembering the last TV show he made.  
  
“No,” he answers between giggles, “don’t worry.”  
  
They begin making the trek up the mountain. Their way is lined by thick fir trees, and Matthew finds himself picking out green spindles from his hair as they walk, flicking them onto the ground. The incline isn’t too steep here, and the path is surprisingly smooth, although they have to dodge a few rocks as they get further up. Matthew thinks he can hear running water and pauses for a moment, cocking his head to one side. The birds in the trees above are singing the morning chorus, and a soft breeze brushes past them, the trees rustling and pine needles dropping to the ground. No water, however. Perhaps he’d been imagining things.  
Of course, the hike takes a lot longer than the few minutes of coverage it receives, but the audience wouldn’t be interested in watching as the incline gets gradually steeper and Matthew swears under his breath. Dominic tries to make light conversation, to which Matthew wheezes a brief answer and curses the weight of his rucksack. Instead, the scene cuts to Matthew once more pausing, reaching for his water bottle and then frowning as he realises it’s running empty.  
  
“I told you not to drink too much!” Dominic chuckles as the singer pouts and shakes the bottle desperately. “Now you’ll have to wait until we find a river so you can refill it.”  
  
Matthew screws his nose up. “Will that water be safe to drink?”  
  
“Should be. We can do a purity check if you’re really desperate,” he teases. Matthew rolls his eyes as he follows Dominic up the slope.  
  
“Is it gonna be much farther?” A smile flickers at the corner of his lips as he whines, “Are we there yet?”  
  
“Sweet Christ...”  
  
“Domin- _iiic_ , are we there yet?”  
  
“If you keep doing that I’m going to leave you on this mountain to fend for yourself.”  
  
Matthew shuts up.  
  
 **[Cut to title picture]**  
  
 **[AD BREAK]**  
  
 **“More on Somerset flooding, the hurricane in Indonesia and Britain’s gold at Sochi, tonight at 10 on ITV News.”**  
  
 **“Join me, Paddy McGuiness, for Take Me Out at 9pm on ITV2. And remember: no like-y, no light-y!”**  
  
 **[Title picture]**  
  
“Dominic Howard and Matthew Bellamy are on a Wild Weekend in the Canadian Rockies,” says the voiceover. “Up until now, the journey has been fairly smooth, but things are about to get slightly more advanced.”  
  
It’s about half way through the day, and the sun is at its highest in the sky, resting above the mountain peaks. Dominic and Matthew are almost half way up the mountain, and the singer has been whistling to pass the time between their chatter.  
  
“Dominic, I’m sure I can hear water. Can I hear water?” Matthew asks, his face lighting up as the prospect of quenching his thirst is offered.  
  
“I don’t know. You tell me, Mr Music Man.”  
  
The singer closes his eyes, as though that will help him to hear the water, and then they fly open again and he starts jogging up the slope, throwing his arms in the air and crying, “Water! Water!”  
  
Dominic watches amusedly as Matthew disappears through a copse of trees and can hear the cries of joy which mean Matthew has reached the river. When he catches up to the singer, he is dancing and twirling on the spot, repeating his chant. Dominic folds his arms across his chest.  
  
“Are you going to fill your bottle, then?” Matthew pauses mid-air and frowns as he turns to look at the river. He pulls the bottle from his rucksack once more and crouches down on the riverbank, peering into the water. It’s fast flowing and foaming on the surface in some areas and as calming as the sound of rushing water may be, the sight of the whirlpool forming a little way down has Matthew feeling more than a little trepidation.  
  
He leans over the edge and dips his bottle down into the water, but the power of the river nearly forces the bottle from his hand. He wobbles where he is balancing on the balls of his feet and pulls back with a look of alarm. Dominic grins at him as he watches Matthew try and fail again, and then he steps in to aid him.  
  
“Do you seriously not know how to fill a water bottle?”  
  
“Not from a river!”  
  
“It shouldn’t be that hard-look.” He grasps a nearby rock and leans over into the water, holding the bottle in a calmer, but still running, section of water. The bottle fills almost immediately, and he holds it out to Matthew, he grudgingly thanks him.  
  
“I’m a city-dweller, though. My water comes from the tap.” He takes a swig from the bottle, wincing when the freezing liquid hits his lips. He wipes his chin in the vain hopes of swiping away the escaping water before the camera can catch him, and then adds, “Actually, I usually just drink wine.”  
  
Dominic throws his head back and laughs, “I wish we had that luxury here. Come on. There’s something else I want to show you.” He leads Matthew further upstream and they scramble over a few rocks together, the river seemingly dropping below them as the banks increase in height. The area is starting to look scarily gorge-like, and Matthew peers over the edge and shudders.  
  
Finally they arrive at Dominic’s ‘surprise’. Matthew squints and then groans as he sees what Dominic has in store for him.  
  
 **[Dramatic drum roll as the camera focuses on the Tyrolean Traverse]**  
  
He gapes at the thick rope that connects the two sides the river, and his eyes dart down to the rushing water below them. “Are you seriously expecting me to get over that thing?”  
  
“Yes? I’ll help you with it, of course.” Matthew turns to look at Dominic, his wide eyes traversing his face for any signs of doubt. All he finds is confidence and reassurance, but still he can’t stop his hands from trembling.  
  
“This isn’t a joke anymore, is it?” he whispers, closing his eyes to calm his nerves. A set of hands rest on his shoulders and Dominic squeezes his shoulder to comfort him.  
  
“Matthew, please try to calm down. I know it looks quite frightening right now, but I’ve got the harnesses in my bag, so there’s no chance of falling. I’ll be right behind you the whole way.” Matthew’s eyes open again and he looks into Dominic’s own. “You can trust me.”  
  
The singer inhales shakily and says, “Yes. Come on. Let’s do it.”  
  
The scene cuts to the pair of them wriggling into climbing harnesses, Dominic attaching his rucksack to the rope. Matthew wiggles his fingers as he pulls on his gloves and then nervously runs a hand through his hair.  
  
“If you go over headfirst you’ll be able to see where you’re going,” Dominic tells him as he begins attaching Matthew’s harness to the metal rope. “You have to pull yourself along with your hands, but if you get enough momentum you might be able to glide across. Don’t feel too worried if you get an achy stomach, though. It requires a lot of core strength to do something like this.”  
  
“Great, that’s just perfect,” Matthew mutters bitterly, stretching his arms up and testing his strength. When he’s safely clipped in and Dominic has tested the harnesses, the explorer begins to attach himself to the rope. He makes light work of it, and Matthew is slightly reassured by the fact that he seems to know what he’s doing, and has clearly done more difficult tasks than this many a time and come out alive. Still, nothing can squash the coil of nerves in the pit of his stomach, and he works to slow his breathing.  
  
“Do you want to start, then?” Dominic asks, drawing him back to the present situation. He raises his eyebrows at Matthew. “Kick off from the wall, draw your legs up and then just haul yourself across, like in a kid’s playground.” Matthew laughs dryly.  
  
“A kid’s playground. Right.” Shakily, he grips the rope as strongly as he can and jumps, swinging his legs up to the rope and crossing them over. He clings to the traverse and squeezes his eyes shut, his attempts at calming his breathing nullified by the gasping that’s beginning to overtake him.  
  
“That’s it!” he hears Dominic tell him, “Now just pull yourself across. It’ll be over before you know it.”  
  
Gritting his teeth and nodding to himself, he takes one hand off the rope and reaches over his head, opening his eyes so that he can see where he is headed. He tugs himself down the rope. Now glad for the gloves, he hauls himself across the gap and drags his lower body along behind him. Slowly but steadily he makes his way across the traverse, his confidence growing as he travels. As Dominic pulls himself up onto the rope, however, the whole traverse shakes and wobbles. Matthew shrieks and swears, his head falling back so that he finds himself staring at the river below him. His stomach lurches as he realises just how high above the ground he is and he freezes in the middle of the course. His rucksack is dangling from the rope somewhere near his feet, and a gust of wind shakes them both, Matthew squeezing his eyes shut as a tear leaks out and falls to join the water rushing below him.  
  
Dominic calls his name, but the only reply he gets is a frightened whimper. “Matthew, please listen to me. You have to keep going.” The singer shakes his head vehemently and the rope jumps again. “Matthew, you’re making it worse for yourself. Keep going and don’t look down, otherwise you’ll never get to the other side.”  
  
“I can’t,” Matthew gasps, and a shudder runs through his whole body. His left hand slips and he shouts as he loses his grip, fresh tears flowing from his eyes. He replaces his hand, but the strain in his body is evident.  
  
“Just think-just a few more metres and then you’ll be on the ground again. You can do it, I know you can,” Dominic coaxes him, shooting his own wary glances at his suspended body. Matthew takes a deep breath, presses his lips together, and then begins to tug himself along the rope again. The adventurer lets out a huge sigh of relief as his companion moves farther across the river, getting closer and closer to the other side. He remains where he is so that he doesn’t startle the frightened man anymore, and when the brunet reaches the other side he instructs him to check his footing and wait for Dominic himself.  
  
Matthew hardly waits for Dominic to place his feet upon the ground again before he wraps his arms around his waist and squeezes him, thanking him repeatedly for helping him across the river. Dominic bites his lip and gingerly returns the gesture, patting his hair down in what he hopes is a soothing manner.  
  
“I didn’t think I’d make that,” Matthew confesses as he pulls away, tugging the harness off. There are still remnants of a tremble in his limbs, but at least he’s smiling now.  
  
“But you did.”  
  
“Yeah. Yeah, I did.” Admiring blue eyes dart up to Dominic’s face, but the blond doesn’t see.  
  
 **[Cut to image of the sun setting over the mountains]**  
  
“It is now growing dark,” the voiceover comments, “and Matthew and Dominic are thinking about finding a place to spend the night.”  
  
“I don’t suppose you have much experience with putting up a tent,” Dominic remarks, glancing over at Matthew.  
  
“Not true! I’ve camped at music festivals before.”  
  
“Not anymore, I presume?” Matthew giggles.  
  
“No, thankfully the conditions backstage are a lot nicer than waterlogged tents and overflowing toilet blocks.” Dominic screws up his face in disgust, inducing more giggles from the singer.  
  
“Let’s not think about that. Here looks like a good place, right?” They stop and survey the area. There isn’t much vegetation around, as they are getting closer and closer to the summit, but the ground is soft enough for tent stakes. Dominic shrugs his rucksack off his shoulder and begins to pull out the tent kit. Matthew bends down and kneels, unfolding the sheets that he unpacks. He holds one up to check it for any tears and gets caught in a gust of wind. He’s blown onto his back, the sheet fluttering in his arms. Dominic looks over at him fondly and grins as the singer tries to pull himself to his feet, getting tangled in the guy ropes. “Alright then, if you’ve camped before, show me how it’s done.” Dominic stands back and gestures to the pile of tent equipment, allowing Matthew to begin the task.  
  
The singer smiles nervously, making for the main tent and a few poles. He glances at Dominic to check that he’s doing it right and starts to slide the poles in their respective places. Everything seems to be going smoothly, and he only falters a few times when the poles catch on spare fabric. When the tent is in shape, he crawls inside and sits in the middle of it so it won’t blow away. Dominic frowns as an arm appears from in the tent and pats the ground around the outer edges of the tent, fingers searching for the stakes. The camera zooms in on the shot of Matthew cross-legged in the middle of the tent, a few stakes clutched in his fist. He pauses, his eyebrows drawn together as he eyes the stake, and then shakes his head, bemused.  
  
“I’m not entirely sure where I’m going with this.”  
  
“Me neither. Are you planning on securing the tent from the inside?”  
  
“Erm...”  
  
“Get out, come on, and we’ll do it properly.”

**[Cut to title picture]**  
  
 **[AD BREAK]**  
  
 **[Title picture]**  
  
 Dominic holds the tent in place while Matthew scrambles out the door, and then he turns it around so that the door is facing away from the wind. Matthew takes over tent-holding duties while Dominic drills the skates into the ground. Together, they loop the guy ropes around the skates stamp on them to make sure they’re securely in the ground. When they stand back, the door of the tent flaps slightly, but it stands, and it’ll do.  
  
Matthew cheers, and his applauding is accompanied by the rumbling of his stomach. He blushes at Dominic’s chuckle and adds, “All I’ve eaten since breakfast is a cereal bar and an apple, and I’ve worked really hard today!”  
  
“Luckily for you, I’ve got our dinner for today in my bag alongside...,” Dominic rummages around in the rucksack and produces two thin blocks of flint and steel, “these.” Matthew’s face falls.  
  
“This is never going to work. I’ve tried it before and it won’t work.” He paces around and around the area, moaning, “We’ll never get dinner tonight. I’ll go hungry forever.” He falls to the ground and pretends to weep into his hands, Dominic shaking his head in disbelief.  
  
“I never knew you were such a diva, Matthew, honestly!”  
  
“I am  _not_.”  
  
“Are too.”  
  
“Not.”  
  
“If you say so.”  
  
Matthew harrumphs but says nothing as Dominic begins to set up the fire, sparks flying from the metal onto the bundle of sticks he’s set in front of him. He blows on the kindling flames and watches as they grow, the warm glow catching onto all the wood as the fire makes itself known. Matthew gapes silently at the sight and comes to sit across the fire from Dominic, wide-eyed with shock. Dominic could make a comment, but he doesn’t, instead reaching for his pack of food and producing some dry food, including a packet of astronaut food. He tosses it to Matthew across the fire and the singer’s eyes light up as he rips into it.  
  
“I’ve always wanted to go into space,” he tells Dominic, breaking off a piece of dried ice cream and testing it. When he is satisfied, he returns for more, smiling as he gets comfortable around the fire.  
  
“I can’t imagine why.”  
  
“Wouldn’t you want to?”  
  
“Not at all.” Matthew gasps, aghast.  
  
“But why not? Don’t you want to see what’s out there?”  
  
“There’s nothing out there, we know that.”  
  
“But there could be aliens!”  
  
“Even if there are aliens,” Dominic reasons, “you wouldn’t be able to see them from Richard Branson’s ship, so it’s not worth thinking about.”  
  
“But-aliens!” Dominic shrugs.  
  
“I’m much more interested in what’s here, you know. There’s enough for us to explore on Earth as it is. I’ll never get tired of this planet; I don’t see the need to try and go anywhere else.” Matthew chews on his astronaut food thoughtfully as he ponders this, but then shakes his head.  
  
“You’re strange.”  
  
“You’re stranger.”  
  
“Am  _not_.”  
  
“Are too.”  
  
“Shut up.” Dominic snuffles his laughter and hides his smile behind his hand.  
  
Once they’ve finished the dinner, they sit quietly and look out at their surroundings. The only light for miles is the fire of their camp, and the sky is clearer than Matthew’s ever seen it. He leans back on his elbows and stares up into space, enchanted by the view and wondering why Dominic doesn’t feel the same pangs of longing for the unknown that he does.  
  
“I could write so many songs about this,” he muses, fingers tapping out a melody on the rock.  
  
“Could you successfully avoid clichés?”  
  
“Probably not,” he laughs. “Maybe I’ll go country-pop on the next album. Be Taylor Swift’s male counterpart, or something like that, and get onto all the charts.” Dominic scoffs.  
  
“Even I could write that song for you, though. Don’t change what you do.” Matthew smiles softly.  
  
“Do you like what I do?”  
  
“Yeah, I do, actually. It’s cool. Original. It’s refreshing to see a change from what everyone else is doing anyway.”  
  
“Good to know.” Matthew sits back up, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. He stares into the fire, and is only brought out of his own thoughts by Dominic asking, “Would you sing something now?”  
  
“What, campfire songs? ‘Alice the Camel’ and all that?” They titter at the thought, Dominic humming the tune from his childhood scouting memories.  
  
“That wasn’t what I had in mind, but if you’d like to sing about Alice’s multiple humps, feel free.” Matthew burst into laughter again.  
  
“I don’t know, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with it. I don’t like to sing without accompaniment.” Dominic’s face falls but he nods anyway. “I’m kind of exhausted. Do you mind if I go to bed?”  
  
“No, go ahead. I’ll probably join you soon, anyway.” Matthew pauses where he’s getting up from the fire and he averts his gaze, clearing his throat. The flush on his face most likely isn’t from the fire.  
  
“Okay. See you.”  
  
Matthew crawls into the tent and Dominic is left alone outside. He picks up a rock and turns it over and over in his hands, nibbling his bottom lip. The site is silent.  
  
“Dominic?”  
  
The blond turns and looks over his shoulder, where he sees Matthew’s face poking out from the tent flaps. He singer smiles and beckons him with a long finger. Both arms emerge as Dominic gets closer to the tent, and when he’s finally kneeling in front of the door, Matthew cups his face with his hands, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Dominic swallows nervously as the singer leans in and ever so gently brings his lips to Dominic’s own. The explorer’s shaky hands come to rest on Matthew’s shoulders as he tilts his head for a better angle, and Matthew falters for a second as he smiles, his own hands sliding from Dominic’s cheeks to his hair and neck, drawing him closer. One blue eye is cracked open and he leans back for a second, indicating the camera behind them. Dominic glances over his shoulder and then back to Matthew, who raises a teasing eyebrow, his eyes sparkling in the remaining light of the fire. The last thing we see is Matthew’s hand slide possessively down Dominic’s back in an attempt to pull him into the tent with him before Dominic laughs and knocks the camera out of sight. The scene goes black.  
  
 **[Scene changes switches to the next morning.]**  
  
Dominic emerges from the tent bright and early the next morning, Matthew following behind him as he attempts to waddle in his sleeping bag. The material catches on his foot and slips down his front, revealing a slim, pale chest, and he curses.  
  
 “Bollocks, I forgot about the camera.” Dominic cackles.  
  
“Get dressed, you twit, or you’ll never get breakfast.”  
  
The boys are next seen fully dressed, a hat wedged on Matthew’s head, their rucksacks loaded with equipment again.  
  
“Where exactly are we going?”  
  
“There’s a lake around here somewhere-“  
  
“Somewhere?” Dominic ignores his anxious comment.  
  
“-and we’re going to fish for our breakfast.” As they turn, the lake comes into view, and they smile at the beautiful sight. It’s almost as exquisite as the lake at the foot of the mountain, except it’s not as vast. As they come close to the edge of the lake, they can see how clear the water is as it laps at their feet. Matthew bends down to fill his bottle but Dominic stops him, explaining,  
“You should only take natural water from running sources. You don’t know who or what’s been in this lake.” Instead, he hands him his own bottle, and Matthew accepts it gratefully.  
  
“How exactly are we going to catch the fish, then? I know your bag is essentially Mary Poppins’, but you can’t have a fishing rod in there, can you?”  
  
“Not quite, but I do have a suitable net.”  
  
“Damn. I guess I’ll have to wait until later to see  _your_  fishing rod.” He giggles at his own joke as Dominic hoots, his cheeks colouring a rosy pink.  
  
“Behave,” he admonishes playfully, but they both know he doesn’t mean it.  
  
Once Dominic has retrieved the nets from his bag, the pair sit on a large rock by the side of the lake and take turns dipping them into the water. Some leftovers from last night’s meal are thrown into the lake to attract more fish, and soon they see a glimmer of silver streak through the water and straight into Matthew’s net. He yanks it out of the water and holds it up triumphantly, the salmon jumping about, trapped inside the net.  
  
“I did it, Dom, look!”  
  
“That’s a fairly big one, too, so it’ll be enough for both of us. Bless you, Matthew Bellamy.” The singer’s chest swells with pride as they scramble down from the rock and set about cooking the fish.  
  
“This is excellent,” Matthew groans, patting his stomach and purring like a contented cat. “You could be a gourmet chef, Dom.” The blond snorts.  
  
“I’m quite happy with my job as it is, thanks.”  
  
 **[Cut to title picture]**  
  
 **[AD BREAK]**  
  
 **[Title picture]**  
  
“Dominic Howard and Matthew Bellamy are on the last leg of their Wild Weekend in the Canadian Rockies,” states the voiceover. “They’ve been getting on well, but will their relationship stand when Dominic takes Matthew to the peak?”  
  
We once more find the boys hiking, but this time they’re on a much steeper incline, scrambling over rocks and heaving themselves over crevasses. Dominic is much more lenient with Matthew, often taking his hand and pulling him up behind him instead of just instructing him what to do. They make it closer and closer to the summit, encouraging each other the whole way and occasionally breaking out into song just for the sake of filling the almost eerie silence.  
  
“It’s so weird that we’re the only two people out here,” Matthew says. “Like, in the city I’m always surrounded by people. Even in my apartment, there’s somebody next door all the time. I find it so strange having all this space to ourselves.”  
  
“That’s the beauty of it. It feels kind of like owning the world, sometimes, and you can look out at the views and know that humanity at least hasn’t spoiled  _that_  yet.”  
  
Matthew nods in agreement but says nothing, because his breath is caught in his throat. They’ve reached the top of the mountain, and the flat summit is covered with a layer of untouched snow. He stops and stares at the view; looking up at the clouds which seem as though they’re close enough to touch; around at the other peaks he can see, ascending higher into the heavens; down at the way they’ve come, the tress they’ve wound round and the river they climbed across; back at Dominic, who’s watching him with an affectionate smile. Matthew reaches out and takes his hand, squeezing it and holding it to his chest. Dominic steps closer and wraps his free arm around Matthew’s waist.  
  
“Isn’t it spectacular?” he breathes, and the singer nods.  
  
“I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m so glad you brought me up here.” He turns so that their eyes meet. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”  
  
“You probably won’t be thanking me in a minute,” Dominic adds quietly, not wanting to spoil the moment. Matthew pulls back and gives him a suspicious look.  
  
“What have you got planned?”  
  
“Well, if we want to get down this mountain safely, we’re going to have to abseil.” He winced, preparing himself for Matthew’s nerves, but they never came. Instead the singer nodded determinedly and held out his hand.  
  
“Shall I get my harness on, then?”  
  
The scene changes to that of Dominic instructing Matthew on which ropes to hold on to so that he can lower himself down the mountain. They clip themselves in and Dominic checks and re-checks the knots which are anchoring their ropes to the rock. The pair stand on the edge and Matthew bits his lip, refusing to look behind him and make the same mistake he made with the river traverse.  
  
“Remember, I’ll be alongside you the whole way down, okay?” He squeezes Matthew’s hand once more and then focuses on his rappelling ropes. “Don’t get the ropes caught in your clothes and try to keep control as much as possible. You’ll be absolutely fine, as long as you do all that, and I’m always here to help.”  
  
Matthew jumps on the spot nervously as he nods. “Can we just go? Please?”  
  
They count to three and then kick off from the edge, lowering themselves down and putting their weight in the harnesses. Matthew watches Dominic and copies his movements, finding a place to put his foot so that he can walk down the steep side of the mountain. He’s steadier than he was with the traverse, and his foot only slips once or twice. Dominic reassures him with smiles and comments the whole way down, and when they’re nearing the end of the rope, adds, “Now you can just slide down and brace yourself for the landing.”  
  
Matthew lets his feet fall from the mountain and lets himself go, swinging on the rope and sliding down. He lets out a whoop of joy at the swooping feeling in his stomach, the rush of adrenaline in his veins. When he sees the ground coming towards him, he bends his knees in preparation. As his feet touch the flat floor, however, he loses his footing and lands on his bum. He groans between chuckles, and when Dominic lands much more gracefully beside him, a hand appears to haul him up from the ground. The embarrassed singer brushes down his clothes and then cranes his head back to stare at the bit of mountain they’d just slid down.  
  
“Did we really just do that?”  
  
“We did.” Dominic smiles to himself as he pulls the ropes down and begins to wrap them around so that they would fit in his bag. Matthew is still rambling, his nerves having been converted to excitement, and he darts about behind Dom as he talks.  
  
“I can’t believe it. I never believed that I, a city boy with no hiking experience, could climb up and down a mountain.”  
  
“That was the point of bringing you out here, though, to give you that experience.”  
  
“Not for ITV2 viewers to watch an idiot bumbling about in the wilderness?” They begin to head down the trail, the walk now as easy for Matthew as the walk to the bus stop at the end of his road.  
  
Dominic grins. “Perhaps for that, too, yeah.”  
  
“Glad somebody will be entertained by my crying, at least.”  
  
“And by your flirting.”  
  
“...Damn! I forgot to make a climax joke on the mountain! Damn it!”  
  
The mountain range echoes with their laughter as they head back to the hotel, and the scene fades.  
  
The voiceover cuts in: “Next Saturday, Dominic Howard takes Morrissey on a Wild Weekend to the Australian outback.....”  
  
 **[Title picture]**


End file.
